


she is the sunlight (Season 3 olicity ficlets)

by hope27



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Season/Series 03
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-27
Updated: 2014-11-11
Packaged: 2018-02-10 16:34:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2032071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hope27/pseuds/hope27
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Season 3 ficlets...</p><p>NEW Chapter 3: hold your breath and count to ten (based off the sneak peek from 3x01) - Felicity waits for Oliver to arrive at the restaurant - the moments leading up to then and when he finally gets there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hey everyone! Here is the promised fluff! With the previews we got this weekend of Oliver and Felicity's date, I couldn't help but write the little scene that got stuck in my head of when he goes to pick her up. Not sure if we'll actually get it in the show, but I HOPE SO!
> 
> As always, I LOVE to hear what you think! Please let me know! 
> 
> (Title inspiration from windchill's amazing video which I highly recommend!)

He couldn’t breathe from the moment he laid eyes on her. 

The first thing he’d seen when she’d opened the door was the soft yet hesitant smile on her lips, blue eyes sparkling with unhidden emotions. Her hair fell in golden waves over her shoulders, some of her natural curl showing. His fingers immediately itched to reach out and run through it, knowing from previous experience it would be silky smooth against his skin.

 

He didn’t realize he was smiling until the apprehension disappeared from her eyes. 

When she stepped back to let him in, he finally got the first glimpse of her dress. Red, hugging all of her, curves and stopping just below her knees. 

“I just have to grab my shoes and purse,” she murmured, turning and waving him into the foyer of her townhouse as she took three steps to the right to find those items.

His mouth dropped when he saw the back of her dress. A crosshatch of straps was the only thing that covered her smooth skin down until her sides pinched in before flaring out to her hips.

Blood rushed south as he rubbed his forefinger and thumb together to keep from touching the expanse of skin bared to him.

It wasn’t until she turned back, surprise and then amusement, dancing in her blue eyes that he took another breath.

His mouth bobbed up and down as he searched for words that used to come so easy to him. But all those times had been different. In his old life, they’d been platitudes that had fallen from his mouth holding little meaning.

Now, with her, his Felicity - they meant _everything_.

“You’re beautiful,” he finally managed, voice gravelly and hoarse, yet infused with all the honestly he possessed in his body.

As her cheeks flushed and she breathed a quiet thank you, he smiled and took one more step towards her, holding out his hand. 

“Ready?” he asked, his voice not quite as steady as he would have liked it to be, but then again, this entire evening was something new to him.

He’d realized as he’d changed his tie for the third time that this was the first date he’d been on where he knew he was in love with the person he was taking to dinner.

He loved her. Everything about her. Her soft smile, her quick wit - the way she could make him smile with a tilt of her head or knowing look. She knew more about him than almost anyone and she hadn’t run - despite everything she’d been through because of her association with him. She’d stayed. She’d believed in him, pushed him forward, held him when he needed it and reminded him what it meant to live.

And this was the next step in living his life. Living their lives. 

If he was going to be a hero at night to this city and still Oliver Queen by day, then he wanted both of those to be with her by his side. Not simply as his partner on the team, but in everything.

As her hand slid into his, fingernails painted to match her dress, a wave of peace swept over him. This was right. 

Her hand in his; her by his side. Together. 

They were both nervous. He could tell. The way her eyes had kept flickering between his face and everywhere else told him that. But as soon as her hand found his, he let out a long breath and noticed that her shoulders fell as well. The nervousness dissipated and all they were left with was Oliver and Felicity.

They knew how to be Oliver and Felicity. They’d been moving towards this moment since the day he’d walked into her office with that laptop and lame excuse. He knew she’d seen through it the second the words had fallen from his lips but she’d helped him anyways.

And she kept helping him. Stayed by his side. Yelled at him when he needed it. Stood up to him when she didn’t agree. Reminded him of the good inside himself - the hero - she’d always believed was inside him. 

She’d woven her way into his heart and filled up all the holes left by his time away. He breathed easier the moment she entered a room, and her touch could send even his worst fears and nightmares running for the hills.

She was so much of what he never thought he deserved and now he was standing in her foyer wondering if this was really happening. If he’d really made it to the place where he deserved this...where he deserved her.

Her hand squeezed his; gentle but firm and he looked down at the intertwined fingers. He followed her arm up to her shoulder and neck and finally her face, meeting her reassuring gaze.

“Ready?” she asked softly, repeating the question he’d just asked her and wondered when he’d missed her response.

His mouth twitched up and he stepped forward, leaning down to brush his lips against her cheek as he whispered, “Yes.”

The smile that lit her face took his breath away for the third time that night and they hadn’t even made it out the door.

“Me too,” she replied with a nudge to his shoulder. “I’m starving…”

He chuckled as he led her back across the foyer.

Heart swelling with love, he opened the door, and followed her outside and down to the waiting car, ready to take this step forward with her. 

They were another few steps down the road to his happy story.


	2. your hand in mine (season 3 promo pic fic)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Oliver learns there's another player bidding for his company, it takes Felicity to calm his fears and remind them that they are in this together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This was a persistent little plot bunny after I saw the picture posted below of Oliver and Felicity in Arrow 3x01 (The Calm) on tumblr. I hope you enjoy it. 
> 
> As always, I love to hear what you think! It means so much to me!
> 
> Based on this picture:
> 
> [](http://tinypic.com?ref=r6wwsk)

He’s halfway down the stairs in front of Queen Consolidated by the time she catches up to him. She can tell by the set of his shoulders and the tension radiating off him in waves that he’s beyond upset.

Her heart reaches out to him, her hand finding his, fingers folding around the fist he’s made unknowingly.

His steps halt when he feels her touch and she hears and sees his shoulders fall as the breath rushes out him.

“I don’t know what to do,” he finally speaks, sounding more defeated than he had in months.

“Keep fighting,” she replies honestly, taking one more step up to him so she’s shoulder to shoulder, the pink of her dress complimenting his crisp blue suit. “Just like we always do.”

His eyes slam shut as his head falls forward and she tightens the grip she has on his hand, relieved when his hand opens and warm fingers with calloused pads from nights spent saving the city from criminals and evildoers curl around her own.

“We were so close,” he whispers and she has to lean forward, her shoulder brushing the expensive fabric of his suit to hear him.

“We’re still close,” she reminds him, closing that final gap, uncaring of who could see them - his invitation to dinner still rining in her ears. “Nothing’s been decided for sure.”

“I want my company back,” Oliver states with conviction she normally only hears under the hood. “I know I screwed up six months ago, but I want to do better. This is my family’s legacy...and I want it to stand for something good.”

“Oliver…”

Her voice carries between them and she sees him tilt his head towards her, blinking open startling blue eyes to look at her for the first time since they’d left the building.

Her chest expands as thousands of tiny butterflies erupt in her stomach. The fact that something as simple as a look from him could still affect her in this way amazes her, but she loves it. 

She licks her lips and his gaze drops to her mouth, eyes darkening as his head dips lower and her heart speeds up.

She momentarily forgets what she’s going to say until she takes a breath and his hand tightens in hers, somehow grounding her despite the sudden feeling that she could fly.

“You will do that,” her voice is low, so soft that she knows she’s barely whispering but she can’t help but have her breath taken away by his proximity and the new intimacy they share - knowing that tomorrow they’ll be on a date. “You’re one of the most stubborn people I know,” she teases, “You’ll do it.”

He huffs at that, eyes widening in surprise as an answer she knew he wasn’t expecting. She counts his lips curving upwards as a victory and returns the smile.

“I couldn’t have done any of this without you,” and she knows he’s talking about more than just trying to get the company back.

Rising up on her toes, she brushes her lips over his cheek, stubble scraping deliciously against her lips.

A sound rumbles from deep in his chest and his hand tightens on her fingers as she lowers herself back down.

“We do make a pretty good team, don’t we?” she murmurs, trying to keep her breathing under control after having his scent surround her, his own blend of spice, leather and air causing a very visceral reaction deep within her.

His lips twitch up as he stares at her with such happiness she somehow knows in that moment that no one will be able to make her feel the way he can with just a look or touch. She’s found the other half of her heart. 

And she’s holding his hand.


	3. hold your breath and count to ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** I really hope you guys aren’t getting tired of these little ficlets….these two just attack me with feelings. (I wrote this during my break today…what are these two doing to me?!!!)
> 
> As always, I’d love to know what you think! Thank you so much!!!!

She arrived early. 

Standing outside of the small Italian restaurant, she took a long, deep breath trying to calm her racing heart. Smoothing down her dress and running her fingers through her hair, she entered the building, knowing she’d beat Oliver there since he’d still been in his suit when she’d left the foundry. 

She’d sat at home for 30 minutes, ready and staring at her tablet until she couldn’t take it anymore, grabbing her keys, and walking out her door.

The hostess seated her with a smile, obviously noting her nervousness. 

It frustrated her - that she was nervous. It was Oliver. She’d never felt more at ease with someone in her life. 

But this was different. This was a step off that ledge they’d been teetering on for months - maybe since the moment he’d walked into her office with a laptop full of bullet holes. This was that leap of faith and they’d both decided to take that step, falling together.

She trusted him to catch her and she would do the same for him.

It was then that she felt his eyes on her. Her body immediately responded to his gaze, goosebumps breaking out on her skin. 

She turned her head, finding his gaze, and her breath caught in her throat.

Dressed in a charcoal grey suit, he stood, his eyes sparkling in the dim lighting, lips tilting upward in a small smile that caused butterflies to erupt in her stomach. She watched as his shoulders rose with a deep breath, taking her in and she had never felt more beautiful or loved or wanted than in that moment.

When a waiter passed in between them, the spell was broken and Oliver moved forward, long legs eating up the distance between them.

She stood with a soft smile on her lips as he drew nearer, heart beating furiously in her chest.

“Hey,” she greeted him quietly, and was surprised when, before speaking a word, she was pulled into his arms, strong hands at her back, ghosting against her exposed skin. 

Chills raced up and down her spine, making her pulse spike as images flashed in her mind at what those fingers and hands could do in a more private setting.

She fell into him, her eyes fluttering shut as she breathed in his scent and the knot of nerves in her stomach immediately began to loosen.

“Hey,” he finally replied, taking a step back.

One of his hands found hers, and his lips brushed against her forehead - a feather light touch that left her aching for more.

“You look beautiful,” he murmured, breath brushing over her eyelids and her smile widened, warmth spreading throughout her as she hummed in response.

Cheeks reddening, she let her eyes slid open, taking in his face so close to hers. Her eyes immediately fell to his lips and she had to physically step back to keep herself from pressing her mouth to his, and tasting him.

“Sorry I’m late,” he told her as he helped her into her seat, his hand never leaving hers.

“You’re actually not late,” she chuckled, “I’m early…”

She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, knowing she was failing at hiding her anticipation, and the fact that she couldn’t wait to get here.

Calloused fingers slid against her knuckles, grasp tightening, making her eyes fly up to his.

When she met his gaze, she knew she hadn’t been the only one who’d been looking forward to tonight. 

“I might have taken the bike to get here - and a few of the Arrow’s shortcuts,” he replied, lips twitching into a grin that made her heart melt.

“I’m just glad we’re here,” she told him softly after a moment, candlelight casting shadows around them, making everything more intimate and everyone else seemed to fade away, until it was just the two of them. 

“Me too,” he whispered hoarsely, voice cracking - emotion bleeding through. ”Me too.”

She laced her fingers through his, and held on tight to everything sitting in front of her - her heart full for the first time in so long.


	4. so close yet so far (3x05 post-episode ficlet)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity is surprised to see Oliver sitting on the steps to her townhouse when she returns from dropping her mother off at the airport. Their relationship is in limbo but, no matter what, they will always be there for each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey guys! I hope you are all doing well! 
> 
> I started this fic after the 3x05 episode and went back and forth with it. I finally landed on something I liked and I hope you like it too. I’ve just missed their interactions so I wanted to write one more scene. Thanks to all those who assured me this wasn’t as bad as I thought it was…muah.
> 
> It’s been a crazy few weeks for me and I’m desperately trying to get all of your replies answered as well as keep up with writing. (I promise I will get to them because each and every one mean so much to me.)
> 
> As always, I love to know what you think! Comments and feedback make my day. Thank you so much for all the support!

She’s surprised to see a familiar figure sitting on her front steps as she puts her car in park. She’d just dropped her mom off at the airport. They’d changed her ticket for a later flight so they could spend the day together - some long-overdue mother/daughter bonding time. 

It was late, almost midnight, and she remembered that Oliver had mentioned going to Thea’s new apartment. 

As she climbed from her car, palming her keys and slinging her purse over her shoulder, she took in his appearance. He’d ridden his motorcycle - his helmet sitting on the step beside him. The familiar brown leather jacket hugged his shoulders as he sat hunched over, staring down at his hands that were clasped in front of him. Tension clung to him and her chest immediately filled with worry, thousands of different scenarios running through her head and none of them good. 

To the average person, he looked as if he were deep in thought - hundreds of miles away - but she knew better. In an open place, he was always on guard, always alert to his surroundings - years of survival instinct honed to a fine point. She knew he heard her coming despite, saw his shoulders rise and fall with the deep breath he took as she approached.

It had been a rough few weeks for them, but after the events of the past few days, she was beginning to feel as if they’d found a new footing between them.

His smile earlier that day had warmed her heart, making it ache with the knowledge that she’d put it there. She longed to do that more and for different reasons. It would be so easy to do just that if he’d only let them. The words he’d spoken to her soon after bled into her skin and echoed in her head.

And you know how I feel about her.

She did. She knew. She’d dreamed about his kiss for weeks - even still - the feeling of wholeness that she’d touched the moment his lips had met hers.

But the reality that set in upon waking only furthered the cuts deep in her chest. 

She remembered what it had been like when she’d heard that Cooper had killed himself in prison - the devastation that it had caused. She’d loved him - her first real love, and she’d lost him so suddenly, perpetuating a fear started by her father’s abandonment of losing those she loved. 

This ache was different, but had the same effect. In a way, she’d lost a part of herself that moment he’d decided that he couldn’t be both Oliver Queen and The Arrow. Without knowing the exact time or day, she’d given him a part of her heart, and now she was left to figure out how to function without it. 

She ached for him. The past few weeks had been so hard. She missed their conversations, the light touches and ease of their banter before their fateful date. 

They’d had it all for the briefest of moments, and then it had all literally been blown away.

As much as she understood where Oliver was coming from, she couldn’t agree with him. She refused to believe that he couldn’t be both - she’d seen him be both. He would always be both. Oliver Queen and The Arrow. They were synonymous in her mind. They always had been after she’d learned his secret.

She just wished he believed what she did.

When she stopped in front of him, he slowly raised his head, clear blue eyes meeting hers in the dim glow of the streetlights.

“Hey,” he murmured, that warm, soft voice that he rarely used drifting towards her and pulling at her heart.

“Hey…”

Her voice trailed off because she truly wasn’t sure why he was there, or where to even start a conversation with him.

“I just...I wanted to check on you...after everything…” he finally said, lifting his shoulders as he pressed his palms flat against his knees. She let out a soft breath, and he quickly continued, his eyes flashing with an emotion that looked a lot like longing.

“Did your mom catch her plane?”

A small smile lifted her lips as she heard the hesitance in his voice, the familiar pull of him and everything they were inspite of what had happened between them - what was still happening between them - putting her at ease.

She sank down on the step beside him, leaving enough room between them that they didn’t touch.

“Yeah,” she replied, “I spent the day with her...it was...it was really good.”

Tilting her head to the side, she caught him staring at her, a soft look in his eyes that made her heart flip in her chest, that ache rising swiftly. She quickly swallowed it down, watching as he seemed to have a similar reaction.

“Good…” His voice was thick, and she could see him open his mouth to say something more but she wasn’t sure she could handle what came out next, so she blurted out before he had the chance.

“I thought you were with Thea tonight.”

She watched his mouth close, and then he nodded. “I was. We watched a movie. She fell asleep, and I let myself out…”

His brow creased with a frown, and she fought the urge to reach out to him, digging her nails into her thighs.

“What is it?” she asked, innately knowing something was wrong.

“It’s Thea...she’s...she’s different,” he shook his head, pressing his palms to his eyes in a sign of frustration she’d long ago memorized, “I don’t know how...but something’s different.”

“It’s been five months, Oliver,” Felicity said softly, “People change…things change...”

Oliver’s gaze flickered to hers at her words, their eyes locking and she felt her heart stutter to a sudden halt in her chest before restarting as she took a deep breath.

“I know,” he replied after a moment, his eyes still holding hers, “But I’m her brother, I should know…”

Felicity chuckled softly, finally tearing her eyes away from his and letting them fall to where his hands rested against his knees. “I’m sure she felt the same way about you when you came back…”

His sharp intake of breath along with the twitch of his fingers had her eyes flicking back to his, and holding, softening at the look she found within.

“She’s still your sister, Oliver,” she continued finally. “That will never change. That love you share - it’s not going to change. It’s not going anywhere.”

The air around them shifted, and she saw his eyes searching her face, hearing the hidden meaning behind the words - a truth she hadn’t expected to share with him but found that she couldn’t deny it any more than she could stop breathing.

She loved him. No matter what - that love was not going to change. 

She couldn’t sit around forever and wait for him, but that didn’t mean her love would fade. She simply wished that he would realize the truth of who he truly was - the man and the hero.

His fingers moved against his jeans, as if he wanted to move them but didn’t know how or where. It was then that she understood he was keeping himself from reaching out to her. The realization slashed through her, that persistent ache growing despite the knowledge that he was doing it out of respect.

For the first time in weeks, she let herself think about how desperately she missed his touch. The simple skimming of his fingers over her back or on her elbow. A soft touch to her shoulder or his palm against her cheek.

Her hand clenched into a fist as her heart seized and she willed herself to keep taking one breath after another despite the pain.

“Your mother seems really great.”

Oliver’s voice drifted between them, breaking the charged silence. “There’s a lot of her in you…”

Felicity chuckled ruefully, slowly lifting her eyes to his, “Yeah, and I didn’t completely realize that until these past few years working with you,” she told him softly.

He frowned, titling his head to the side as he waited for her to continue.

She shrugged her shoulders, “When my dad left...well...we both have issues from that...fears that controlled the way we thought and lived…”

Felicity took a deep breath as a silent tear tracked down her cheek. “I always thought she was disappointed in me, and she was always scared I was going to leave her like my father did…”

Oliver immediately shifted closer to her, their arms brushing and she leaned into that brief contact, her body seeking out his comforting presence.

“I’m not sure how anyone could be disappointed in you,” Oliver breathed, and Felicity squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head.

“Don’t…” she hissed, her heart swelling with warmth while it was torn even further. “You can’t…”

“I’m sorry,” he replied almost immediately, and when she opened her eyes she saw him staring at her with a look of sadness and regret, warm blue eyes conveying more than any words ever could.

“I know,” she finally replied, taking a deep breath. “I know.”

Her gaze fell to his hands, and caught sight of his fingers rubbing against his thumb, one of his tells she knew well. 

Silence settled around them as they both wrestled with their thoughts - of hopes and dreams they didn’t know how to put into words. 

A drop of rain hitting her cheek brought her from her thoughts. A second later, a rumble of thunder echoed in the distance and then the sky opened up.

Felicity scrambled up, Oliver moving with her, rain soaking them in seconds, as they both took the few steps up to huddle beneath the small awning over her door. 

“I should go,” Oliver said, as he looked out over the glimmering wet streets, strands of his short hair matted to his forehead.

Felicity stared at him with a frown, speaking before she knew what she was doing. “Oliver...it’s pouring…”

He turned to her, lips crooked into a half-smile. “I won’t melt...I’ll be fine.”

Felicity huffed before rolling her eyes, feeling the familiar pull of her own lips. “I’m sure you won’t...but…”

Her words trailed off, and Oliver stilled, his gaze flickering back to her, brow furrowed and she could see that he was holding his breath by the set of his shoulders.

Reaching out her hand, she opened it, palm upward to him. “I have tea and an opened bottle of red wine I could use some help finishing…”

He stared at her, his eyes flickering between her hand and her face, silently asking questions she didn’t even have the answers to, but she somehow she knew this was right.

She missed him. And this was them moving forward.

As his hand slipped into hers, she let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding, some of the ache in her chest dissipating.

No matter what, Oliver would always be a part of her life, and hold her heart.


End file.
